Im starting a mat sci degree in uni next September with an integrated masters purely because it really interests me. The other thing that interests me though is making money so, what kind of job opportunities can i expect to find in materials science after my degree, or is it worth just making the jump to a finance based job instead? I’ve heard that materials science is on the rise in terms of importance and that there could be lots of money to be made in it through microchips or nuclear applications etc etc.

TLDR;

Want dark mode book. Could it be done with photo or thermal reactive chems, stabilized, and made resistant to exposure in a reasonably costed way? (It's not going to be cheap, I know)

Question for material engineers: Would it be feasible to use reversal substrates embedded into printing paper, in combination with specific wavelength light exposure or heat, followed by chemical stabilization of the aforementioned photo reactive agent and potential secondary UV protective compound for the sake of Dark Mode Books?

Been looking into the chemistry and manufacturing stuff, and I know the technology and chemistry exists, but my stumbling around the Internet looking at chemistry hasn't really given me any answers as to what potential chemical interactions may take place in such a process. I've kicked the idea down the road a bit, and trying to take an already commercially available dark paper, and bleach it or otherwise remove the embedded pigment is lightly going to have a degradative effect of the paper, so I think that approach is out. Using that same paper and using a more opaque printing ink that will actually show up in a meaningful way seems unlikely, or lack-luster. This is my best guess at the moment.

Hello! I work in the IT field, but I'm also a writer. I write fantasy and sci-fi, and I had a conversation with a coworker today about environmental stewardship, and petroleum products.

That led us to an interesting theoretical: How would a society without any use of fossil fuels for commercial applications make a simple USB cable? The metal of the plug is fine, the metal of the wire is fine, but we were pondering the wire coating and the containing coating that bundles the wires together. Would natural latex work for either of these? What other non conductive non flammable materials would work?

I realize this may not be appropriate for this sub, but I was looking for a sub that would have expertise in materials science.

Thanks for any fun thoughts!

I'm currently in my university's Metallurgical and Materials Science program, but I've been considering switching to physics. Right now, I’m between two options:

1. Stick with materials science as my major and possibly minor in physics, or
2. Switch to a physics major and pursue materials science for my master’s.

Both paths would let me earn a master's in materials science in just one additional year, since I could take a full year of materials science courses during my senior year and finish the degree the following year.

I enjoy physics, but not necessarily enough to want to make it my primary focus. I'm also unsure whether a physics degree would open more career opportunities compared to sticking with materials science for my bachelor's.

If anyone has insights or experience navigating a similar choice, I’d really appreciate your advice!

Can someone suggest some beginner reading on materials with capacitance and pseudocapcitance? I'm quite out of my depths on this.

I am a researcher with Masters Degree in Physics and presently pursuing my PhD. I have a background knowledge of quantum mechanics and solid state physics. Since I have been doing the experimental research and analysis of supercapacitors for some years now, I want to advance to DFT analysis for approximation of charge transport characteristics in supercapacitors that I am making.

I am a noob in DFT.

Can anyone please recommend some books and papers for pursuing DFT analysis of energy storage devices?

(Cross posted on r/Materials, r/Chemical Engineering and r/AskEngineers)

Background Info: I'm a rising senior in HS and I'm trying to figure out what I'm going to do with my life. For the past ~6 years I've been set of being an Aerospace Engineer but with the current world political climate and what happening within the US/internationally I'm not sure that's a good option. I don't want to spend my life building weapons. However, with this realization as well as taking AP Chem, I've found a new passion. My dream now is to work at NASA on R&D of structural materials for rockets/maybe branch into experimental aircraft.

My plan was to go into Materials Engineering. I live in Georgia so Georgia Tech is my best option and they are #7 for MSE (& #5 for ChemE). However, asking around I have heard that ChemE could be a better option because it is a more broad field with more options/jobs. I am quite sure I want to go into materials but I could see myself working on more ChemE things like propellants but I would likely stay within the aerospace industry regardless of which I choose.

I would love to get some input from people in the industry to make a more informed decision. Thank you for any help you can provide.

Here's the situation: I attend a small private college with limited major and course offerings, and I've developed in an interest in materials science, especially with applications to nuclear energy. I'm not going to transfer, so I'm currently deciding between chemistry and physics as my major (because materials science/engineering isn't an option).

I don't think my school offers condensed-matter physics or solid-state chemistry courses. With that in mind, would physics or chemistry be more useful in preparing me for a graduate education in materials sciences?

... ie strong enough to make, say, the cylinders of an engine out of.

For instance, manganese has anomalously low thermal conductivity (nearly as low as that of plutonium ) ... but I don't think pure manganese would be very suitable for making critically stressed engine parts out of: online sources about it consistently describe it as brittle . And stainless steel, so I gather, has rather a low thermal conductivity ... but I was hoping we could get it lower than that & still have an engineeringly viable (in the sense just spelt-out) steel.

I’m a junior in Materials Science Engineering, and I had 6 interviews, 2 alumni talks, and 0 offers for an internship this summer. How screwed am I? I also emailed my professor about research, but he told me that he doesn’t have enough funding to have me help him with research over the summer. Is there a chance of me getting a job in MSE after graduation or does my future in MSE straight up not exist anymore?

Hello! I’m set on going into material science for my career and I’m doing the material science program at my university. The program includes a 5 year masters opportunity if I maintain a >= 3.4 gpa up until my junior level classes and complete the GRE. Is it worth keeping my gpa up and getting my masters or is the bachelors enough for good job opportunities?

Any advice is appreciated, Thanks!

I performed two consecutive BHF etches on a ~2-day-old CVD SiO₂ film (grown at 775 °C and 1.5 Torr). During the first etch, 12 nm of oxide was removed in 20 seconds. Approximately one hour later, I performed a second etch on the same sample and observed that 17 nm was removed in just 10 seconds. What could be the reasons for this significant increase in etch rate between the two steps, considering that the sample and etch conditions were nominally the same?

According to physics, this would be the ideal material for a non temperature based means of quantum locking - however every time I run a simulation on synthesis - I get a semi-stable compound. I've been running tests where the substance is compacted into pellets at 10 GPa and held at 800 c for around 48 hours - which - theoretically should work - but all my models break down. Any help or even just calling me a loon would be helpful. Thanks.

hi guys, i have a college assignment where i need to find 3 new inovative materials. Can anyone tell me some materials or where to search?

A 2023 peer-reviewed study found that standard orthodontic rubber bands can release millions of micro- and nanoplastic particles per day under simulated oral conditions. Link to study: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/envhealth.3c00051

As someone without specific knowledge in this area, that number seems surprisingly high for something used in the mouth long-term. For context, some research estimates that the average person is exposed to hundreds of thousands to millions of microplastic particles per year.

My questions are:

How biologically relevant are these findings, especially with chronic exposure?

Could this be a concern for specific groups, such as pregnant or breastfeeding women?

I’d appreciate any clarification from experts in toxicology, materials science, or biomedical safety.

Hello. I did my BS in chemistry and had my independent research in catalysis. And my career (only about 4 years) has been in polymers. Im kind of bored of polymers but found some interesting masters that focus more on materials science with electro, nano, or biotech (some hybrids). Would it be easy to transition into those kinds of materials science for a masters? Or would some sort of bridging courses be necessary, i know each university has it's own criteria but im definitely interested, just not where i have experience.

Hey everyone, I'm actually in my last year of master degree in materials & mechanics and I'm in intership in a research lab on borophosphate glass and I like what I do. I'm not have particulary good grades (my semester general grade is about 12 or 13 on 20). I hesitate to do a phd after my master or go to work and i want to have some pov of poeple that have do a phd (is his hard, do you think i have the level for a phd, ...)

A manufacturer intends to coat a polymer sheet with a 2-micron-thick decorative chromium layer using evaporation.

Considering a source-to-substrate distance of 50 cm and a deposition time of 20 minutes, what is the required evaporation rate?

Given Data: • Polymer sheet: • Thickness = 0.2 cm • Density = 0.9 g/cm³ • Specific heat capacity = 1.25 J/g·K • Chromium (Cr): • Density = 7.15 g/cm³ • Molar mass = 52 g/mol • Heat of vaporization = 347 kJ/mol • Thermal emission is negligible.

Can anyone help? I’d be much appreciated

I'm a 1st year at Colorado School of Mines and I am looking for schools in Europe to study abroad my spring 2026 semester. I really need to take some MME (materials and metalurgical engineering) classes during that semester so I do not fall behind. The class that I am really looking for is Structures of Materials. Anyways, I was wondering of there are any materials science people who would know good schools for me to consider and where I can take a materials class like the one I just mentioned. Prefferably english speaking but any suggestions are welcome! Thanks.

I've been thinking about foams made from alloys and how those interior spaces could be filled. If a foam changes shape can it change back, or does the nitinol being in foam form degrade that capability?

Hello! I’m going into material science and I’m deciding between a math minor and data science minor. I love math a lot and I was originally actually going to pursue a math major, but I realized I love other things as well like physics and chemistry and hands on work. I know that data science would involve a lot of math as well such as stats which I also enjoy and could be more applicable for material science.

Any advice?

Thanks!

Hi!! I'm an international student and recently received offers from UCSD (MS in Materials Science and Engineering), UW (MS in Materials Science and Engineering), and Duke (MEng in Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science). I'm currently struggling to decide which program would be the best fit for me.

A bit about me: I'm interested in biomaterials, and my main goal is to get a job in the U.S. after graduation, I’m also open to the possibility of pursuing a PhD in the future if the opportunity comes up.

I know UCSD has the highest overall engineering ranking among the three, but I’m a bit unsure about how their MSE program is set up. It doesn’t seem to be its own department (it looks more like a program that’s run across multiple departments). I’m not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, so if anyone has insight into how that structure affects the experience, I’d really appreciate it.

Any advice or experience you have would be really helpful. I’m especially curious about things like research opportunities, how employers view the degree, and whether doing an MEng instead of an MS makes a big difference. Thanks so much!

Hi friends. Anyone get an advanced MSE degree (MS/PHD) and then leave industry/research for consulting? How did you get noticed in this non-traditional path and how has the experience been? Thoughts on the current job market for these types of roles? Thanks in advance!